


A Betting Man

by Jain



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Character of Color, Community: satedan_grabass, Established Relationship, M/M, POV Third Person, Past Tense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-12
Updated: 2010-04-12
Packaged: 2017-10-08 22:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/79973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jain/pseuds/Jain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney doesn't take losing well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Betting Man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluflamingo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluflamingo/gifts).



"This isn't right," Rodney said.

His tone of voice was querulous rather than frightened, so John didn't break his stride but continued on to the window to relieve Teyla from her post. "What isn't right?" he asked, peering into the darkness beyond their snug, candlelit room. The curtains were drawn tightly, other than the one for that particular window, which only added to the cozy effect.

"I'm _losing_."

John glanced back at the table, where Rodney was frowning down at the cards and where Ronon and Teyla were exchanging amused glances.

"You can't win 'em all, Rodney."

"I'm not winning any of them," Rodney said crankily.

"You won the first two games," John pointed out in his most sensible tone.

"Yes, because Ronon was still learning how to play then. I've lost every game the two of us have played since he figured out the difference between a Jack and a King."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you thought you were," Ronon suggested.

John snorted, and Teyla hid a smile, not very successfully.

"It's not a question of _good_," McKay said irritably. "Look, as much as this team likes to show off its basic arithmetic skills, I doubt very much that Ronon's are advanced enough to count cards effectively, and that _ought_ to place me at a distinct..." John turned away from the window a minute to catch the shifty, half-guilty look that Rodney always got when his mouth outpaced his brain. "Um, yes. Teyla, I think it's your turn to deal?"

"Why, Rodney, have you been trying to scam your teammates?" John drawled.

"No?" Rodney's face took on a trapped expression. "It's not as though I were actually cheating. Anyone can learn to count cards...or, well, anyone with certain rudimentary math skills."

"But you were pretty sure that Ronon couldn't do it," John said, fighting the urge to bust out laughing.

Rodney's mouth twisted a little. "Yes."

Ronon stared at him impassively from across the table, and John was pretty sure that he and maybe Teyla were the only ones who could tell that Ronon was finding all of this just as hilarious as John was.

"Yet, somehow, he's the guy with all the chips in front of him," John said.

There was a flash of movement outside, and John tensed, his hand tightening on his P-90. Teyla and Ronon shifted at the table, ready to spring into action. The movement repeated itself and resolved into a flickering shadow that swooped across his line of vision: one of the bat-like creatures indigenous to this world. John relaxed and let his hand drop.

"I realize that, Colonel," Rodney snapped, on his way back to self-righteousness. "And, as I said before, there's something incredibly problematic and just plain _wrong_ about the pattern of wins for these games."

"Perhaps Ronon is simply more lucky than you," Teyla said diplomatically.

"Oh, of course, now why didn't _I_ think of that? Look, there's a certain, easily quantifiable degree of chance in any game. I'm trying to tell you that Ronon's exceeding all expected parameters."

"Sounds like luck to me," Ronon said, the first real argument he'd made in his own defense all evening.

"Except for the fact that there's no such thing!" Rodney exploded, flushing with anger.

"Whoa. Now let's just all settle down before I decide we need to put the game away and take out our naptime blankies instead," John said, and Rodney took a deep breath. Teyla and Ronon looked bemused, but thankfully they kept their mouths shut and didn't ask any questions that might set Rodney off again.

"Now, me, personally, I think that Teyla and I've got the most justification for being upset if anyone does, considering that we're both playing zero for five. But you don't see either of us throwing temper tantrums."

"I confess that any interest I might have had in indulging in tantrums soon disappeared after watching Torren engage in them," Teyla said.

Ronon chuckled, and John was torn between amusement at the idea of Teyla in full-fledged tantrum mode--which was pretty much equivalent to the idea of Mr. Rogers pulling an Uzi out from under his cardigan and firing on Trolley--and outright _hilarity_ at the way Rodney turned bright red at being compared to a fractious baby.

"What she said," John added, to dig it in a bit more.

Rodney spluttered indignantly, but just then the last light in the town went dim, and John held up his right hand and gestured meaningfully towards the window. Everyone on his team went silent.

"Okay, we're out of here. Teyla, you and McKay circle around the town to the gate and be ready to dial Atlantis the second you see us coming. Ronon, you're with me. We'll provide a distraction if it's needed, but let's hope that it isn't. Oh, and McKay?" John waited until Rodney stopped momentarily in collecting his supplies and turned to face him. "Next time, maybe you should make Ronon take off the long sleeves before playing cards with him."

There was a brief pause as the implications of his statement clicked into place, and just as Rodney's face began the shift to outrage John pushed Ronon out the door.

John couldn't help but notice that Teyla had looked more amused than surprised at the revelation; he smiled to himself at the idea of the three of them in on the secret while Rodney got crankier and more disbelieving with every lost round.

"You know I can hide cards other places than in my coat?" Ronon said.

"I figured," John said. "He'll be watching for it now, though. Evens up the playing field a little."

"He'll never catch me," Ronon said confidently.

John grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, probably not."

"Thanks for not saying anything until the end. That was fun," Ronon said. He brushed a quick kiss across John's mouth that John returned with interest, and then they were running, weapons in hand, making a break for home.


End file.
